


It's not a bomb, Magnum.

by tsmagnumm



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Ethan Shah (mentioned), F/M, don't mind me i struggle with tags, pure and simple as promised, this is just fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:09:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27998781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsmagnumm/pseuds/tsmagnumm
Summary: … And it really wasn’t.The one when Higgy bought something for Magnum.
Relationships: Juliet Higgins/Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV
Comments: 14
Kudos: 87





	It's not a bomb, Magnum.

**Author's Note:**

> So I am back with another miggy!fluff coz apparentely I can not write anything other than that (although I really REALLY enjoy the angst).  
> I don't want to spoil anything so just read it and, if I'm lucky enough, you will be smiling at the end of this.  
> Thanks @Jaydiesbutterfly for being my beta, I love you for doing this!

It was safe to say that the past few weeks had been intense at the least. Higgins getting shot, the two of them almost dying in a plane crash and after, running from the criminals, and there was also Dr. Ethan... but that was a point that Magnum hardly thought about over the days. At least, that was what he was trying to convince his friends of.

He knew that Higgins and Ethan were on a date. La Mer. It had been over 2 hours since she left the main house and Magnum must admit that she looked more beautiful than usual. Not that he noticed this more than he should.

To be honest, this date was literally the last thing he wanted to think about but for some reason, it was currently the only thought hammering in his head. He hated feeling that way, trying to guess what they were doing, what she ordered for dinner and how much fun she was having with him... for that last question he doesn’t really want to know the answer.

You can say it’s a coincidence that the next thing Thomas heard is the familiar barks on his phone, he knew that it meant that  _ she _ was calling. He doesn't take long to pick up the phone and press it to his ear.

"Magnum." it’s the first thing he says, taking another sip of his beer that was in the worst possible way: neither warm nor cold, just like Magnum's night since Higgins reminded him of that damned date.

"Hey," her voice is a little higher than normal, he deduces that she is happy.  _ Question answered, then _ . "it's me." Higgins completes when Thomas stays silent.

"Do you need something?" He decides that simply not talking to her isn’t the best choice so he tries to sound indifferent.

"Hmm." Higgins seems to be working on some kind of packaging and Thomas can tell that this is distracting her - whatever  _ this _ is. "can you-- come over the main house?" she asks at once and he ponders for a while before answering.  _ So she wasn't going to spend the night with Ethan? Interesting ... _ "please?"

"Are you okay?" Not that Magnum didn't want to go to the main house, in fact, that would probably be the highlight of his night alone drinking an endless beer.

"Yes," she is quick to respond. "I just want to talk to you."

Now Magnum was curious, before hanging up he gets up from the couch and puts on his flip flops. "Okay, then." he says before she hangs up and he walks quickly to the main house.

He knocks on the door three times and his hand flies over the lock, unsure about just opening it since she told him to come over or waiting for her to come and open it for him. "Can I come in?"

"Yes, please." she says as soon as she opens the door for him, not looking at him for much time before turning on her back and walking towards the kitchen counter "I would have come to the guest house to see you but Ethan dropped me here and--"  _ there it was, this guy being a character in their conversation. Again. _ Higgins seems to realize that - for some reason that was still unknown to her - Ethan was the last thing Thomas would like to hear about tonight "anyway, have a seat?"

She points to the couch and he just nods, walking over to the big, comfortable sofa in her living room. Higgins was still wearing the same flowery dress from earlier when she left the house, it was white with small orange, red and blue flowers. Her hair was still tied in the same way but her feet were bare. The high heels were probably the first thing she got rid of when she got home.

Thomas secretly wished that his partner would come to sit beside him, get closer enough that he would be able to feel the heat emanating from her body.

But Higgins remained standing, near the kitchen counter. "I know these past few days have been hard," her voice more serious than usual, "I must admit ... even  _ I _ was afraid we weren't going to make it today." she says with a slightly exasperated laugh at the end.

Thomas swallows, she was referring to the plane incident. He must admit that he also thought that this would be their last case. Ever. "Me too." He replies, annoyed by the distance between them and how he couldn't look her in the eyes as he’d like "But we didn't."

"Yes," she says in a lower tone and he knew she was remembering how it felt when they looked at each other one last time before closing their eyes and preparing for the forced landing that Higgins performed on the aircraft. Luckily for them, everything was fine now. "but that got me thinking about everything that happened and..." she turns around, grabbing a small square shaped package that she was apparently hiding on the counter behind her.

She finally walks over to the couch and sits down next to Magnum - not as close as he would like her to be, but he’s still thankful for having her a little bit closer - the small box was wrapped with dark blue paper. Nothing too sophisticated and he deduced that she either came up with this in a hurry or she hadn’t been the one to wrap whatever was inside that box at all. "I want you to have this." she hands him the box, the look on his face was confused.  _ Had she bought him a... gift? _

Magnum realizes that she seems slightly agitated, perhaps because of the wine she drank during the dinner, after all she had stolen one bottle from Robin's wine cellar - her wine cellar - for this date.

Thomas studies the box for a while and for the first time in a few decades he doesn't know what to expect from a gift wrap. His birthday wasn’t near.  _ What could it be? _ He runs his index finger along the edges of the box, raising it a little bit so that he can analyze it and he realizes that the color choice for the wrapping paper pleases him: tigers’ blue.

Maybe he spent too much time looking at the box because Magnum soon noticed Higgins getting impatient next to him and getting a little closer, too. "It’s not a bomb, Magnum." she smiles and he immediately regrets not looking up at her before, just in time to catch her (almost shy?) smile. “Won’t you open it, for heaven’s sake?!”

He laughs at how impatient she is and stares at her for a while, as if the answer to what was under the wrapping paper was in her eyes and not inside the box he held in his hands. He takes the courage to tear the paper and, just like a band-aid, decides to tear off the top part all at once... and that's when he is surprised.

He notices the well-known Rolex symbol on top of the dark green leather-covered case, vintage style just like the case his father's watch occupied. Magnum holds his breath as soon as he sees the symbol and looks at her, she also seems to hold her breath and she doesn't let go of his eyes for even a second.

He gathers all the strength remaining in his being and looks at the box again, removing the rest of the paper when something else catches his attention, stealing the air from his lungs and making Magnum breathe deeply searching for something as simple as oxygen.

His finger runs over two small scratches so familiar at the right side of the box, two scratches he had made when he was just as a child because he used the big green box as an obstacle for a car race. He remembers his mother's scolding because of that.

"This is--" he seemed to be lost at words. "how did you--" she smiles at him and this time, he didn't miss a single detail. From the moment her cheeks flushed to the moment when she ran her hand over her knee, tying her finger on her dress "how did you get it back?"

He is finally able to find words that connect in a sentence and make sense altogether. Higgins looks at him again, a sincere smile on her lips when she replies "asked for a favor."

She shrugs and now he’s laughing, asking for favors was a part of him that she used to criticize. He smiles even more when he learns that at least some part of Higgins had been affected by him. Or even more so because this part - perhaps more significant than he imagined - was responsible for her buying his father's watch back.

“Higgy, you didn’t--” he tries to say that she didn’t need to. Yes, this is the cliché when you receive a gift but no, this one she really didn't need to... And for some reason that feeling warms Magnum's heart.

"No, Thomas, listen." she moves away from him just a little so she can face him properly. So does Magnum. "I hate the idea that you gave up something so important to you because of me." Higgins' voice is calm, low and he can feel the honesty in each one of her words.

Magnum looks at the case again, still closed between his fingers and he remembers the moment he pawned the piece. She was in the hospital and to be honest, he doesn't remember the last time he had been so on the edge as he was that day.

“No matter how mature that may have been, I’m not worth it.” she continues and he looks at her again, her gaze quickly falls on the box and for the first time tonight Magnum knows that she is running away from him. “This watch has been in your family for decades.” she says as if it were something obvious and only then she allows herself to look him in the eye again “I’m  _ truly  _ sorry if the whole situation with the estate has made you think you had to do it for me.”

You don't have to be a profiler to know that some sort of light inside her went out after she explained why she bought his watch back and some part of him wanted to believe it was because she didn't think she was important enough to him. Magnum quickly dismisses those thoughts, knowing it was not right.

But it wasn’t right to let even a small part of her believe that was true either.

“You know…” he starts, getting her attention again, his fingers squeezing the box “I would’ve done it again, Higgy.” his voice is soft, as if he wants to sneak in through her walls, trying to make her somehow notice him, his honesty. "Thank you, I really appreciate it." he finally says.

"You're very welcome.” her smile goes from her lips to her eyes. She’s happy and he knows that.

They gaze at each other for what seems like an eternity but in fact it was only a few seconds. She is the first to break the spell and get up from the couch though. Apparently their little moment was over, he could hear the barriers around her being raised as she walked away from the couch and back into the kitchen. He knew his way to the door and that's where he goes in silence, carrying the box with the watch and only then he realizes that he hasn't even opened it.

He opens the box and the shiny silver reflects with the light that was right above his head. 11:35 pm.

He stops mid-way, Not exactly in the middle as he soon realizes that he is closer to the door and farther from her than he would like.

"Hey, Higgy?" he calls out to her and she quickly turns around to look at him.

"Yes?" Higgins rests one arm on the counter and waits for him to speak.

"Just so you know, you  _ are _ worth it." He left the playful tone behind and adopted a serious one that only his partner could get out of him. ”All of it. You’ll always be. ”

He notices her cheeks turning red again, Magnum seems to have managed to get the air out of her lungs as well, just like she had done with him a few moments ago.

"That goes both ways, Thomas." she finally speaks. From where he stood, Magnum could see that the red in her cheeks was also part of her neck and across the neckline of her dress. "I mean it."

The honesty in her voice makes him smile and, before he walks back towards the guesthouse, Magnum nods at her and he knows he is using all the charm he is supposed to have in a smile that many have called irresistible. "Good night, Higgy."

Surprisingly enough, she smiles back at him, letting out a breath that he didn't know she was holding "Good night, Thomas."


End file.
